Override Mech City Brawl – PS4 | Review

If like me, you grew up watching the corny yet awesome TV show Power Rangers, you’ll no doubt remember the traditional Megazord battle that would adorn the end of each and every episode.

An idea, that when looked at closely, would make an awesome Video Game, no? Well, Override Mech City Brawl is the answer to that conundrum, a game in which the objective is to beat the tar out of your enemy’s giant robotic animal with your own giant robot animal. Albeit with a few twists and interesting ideas sprinkled in for good measure.

In truth, the inspiration for this game is more likely linked to Godzilla than the likes of Power Rangers, something you’ll find upon inspecting the decently sized roster, made up of a good mix of robots, each with their own special moves/abilities.

By far, the most intriguing mode in this game is the co-op. Never before have I seen a game in which 4 players can team up, each controlling a separate limb of a single entity. Whilst I didn’t get to try playing with 3 other people, I can only imagine the chaos that would come from the coordination needed to play well.

I have to say, one thing I really enjoyed about Override was its stage selection. Not only is there the obvious “Japanese City” stage you’d expect, but also some cool, more scenic locations too like Egypt or what looks to be San Francisco.

One thing I found surprising, was the sheer depth of the gameplay. All too often, fighting games are unbalanced, unpolished or simply not fun. Override manages to ride a fine line between being a precise, deep fighting game that it wants to be, with the approachable, fun and colourful looking title it is. Putting it in the camp of the DBZ games or Smash Bros, something few other fighting games manage to do properly.

The controls are remarkably simple, with each of the shoulder buttons and triggers representing an arm or a leg. This makes for some interesting combos, as you’ve got to take into account the distance of your enemy compared to the length of your limb, whilst also watching an “overheat” meter at the top of the screen that prevents spamming attacks.

Each character has its own way of dodging, blocking and is capable of charging up attacks by holding the relevant attack button in, allowing you to deliver a powerful strike with the right timing.

I do truly believe that with a bit more refinement, Override could blossom into a potentially big franchise. The character design, gameplay and premise are definitely cool enough to draw in new players, regardless of their familiarity with fighting games as a whole.

Final Impressions

If I could make a simple criticism, it would be in the gameplay itself. Whilst I’ve already praised the game based on its approachability and how fun it is, there’s very little in variety here when it comes to the actual second-to-second gameplay. I can’t help but feel more stage obstacles or even a tad of platforming could liven up the mix and create some new opportunities for fun game mechanics.

With all that said, I found the entire game to be a fun, easy to learn 3D fighter. It very much reminds me of the old Dragon Ball Z Raging Blast games, albeit with a Power Rangers/Godzilla twist to it. I hope the developers take this series further and throw some more fresh ideas into the next instalment, something to make Override truly stand out.